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It was the second successive win for United and the second straight loss for Zalmi

Danyal Rasool14-Apr-2025A quick century from Sahibzada Farhan powered Islamabad United to their second successive blowout win in PSL 2025. Peshawar Zalmi were the unfortunate opponents, brushed aside for the second time in as many matches as they succumbed to a 102-run defeat.An onslaught of sustained power hitting from United’s stable of big hitters saw them post 243 – the highest score in this edition. Zalmi were never in contention despite the best efforts of Mohammad Haris’ 47-ball 87. Imad Wasim and Naseem Shah eased the batters out of the way relatively early in the chase before Zalmi folded for 141.United opted to bat first this time, and it was immediately obvious this pitch was more conducive to batting than the tournament opener. Alzarri Joseph conceded just three in the first over before Andries Gous fell in the next, but once Farhan cracked his first boundary, United cut loose: 73 came in the powerplay, 22 of which Farhan pillaged in one over from Under-19 pace bowler Ali Raza.Imad Wasim was among the wickets•AFP/Getty Images

But, as has been the trend this season, the fireworks didn’t stop once the field spread out. Sufiyan Muqeem, Zalmi’s best bowler, went for 16 in the ninth over and 16 more in his third as Colin Munro, who had been largely content operating in Farhan’s slipstream, began to take centre stage. By now, Farhan had brought up a 49-ball hundred, and though Joseph returned to remove the pair within four balls of each other, United had by now amassed 163 with six overs still to go.Zalmi had left the wicket-taking too late, and United had enough remnant firepower to continue their attack. Azam Khan, Salman Ali, Jason Holder and Ben Dwarshuis all chipped in with cameos to add 80 off the last six.It was a total Babar Azam is, in truth, ill-suited to help chase down, so his early departure, nicking off to first slip off Dwarshuis on his third delivery, didn’t tilt the scales much. But Mitchell Owen, promoted after his cameo against Quetta Gladiators over the weekend, fell the following over, and Saim Ayub followed suit cheaply. By the end of the fourth over, Zalmi were 26 for 3, the asking rate was already close to 14, and the contest was on the brink of collapse.Mohammad Haris waged a lone battle for Peshawar Zalmi•AFP/Getty Images

An individual effort was never going to salvage things, much as Haris tried. His absence of form in T20 cricket of late has been both a Zalmi and Pakistan concern, but he was brutally effective, picking up Drawshuis for a four and a six the following over, and plundering two sixes in a 17-run over off Holder after the powerplay.But team support was in short supply. Wasim held the nagging line that makes him so difficult to dispatch, and brought about Tom Kohler-Cadmore’s dismissal on his return in the ninth over. The game entered a pattern which saw Haris find the boundary regularly in the overs that followed, only to lose one partner after another.He knew it couldn’t last, and it was perhaps fitting Wasim applied the coup de grace. Haris slapped him over midwicket to get up to 87 before finally failing to get underneath one and holed out to long-on; it was the ninth Zalmi wicket to fall. Two overs later, Dwarshuis cleaned up Mohammad Ali as the trophy holders swiftly put themselves in pole position for another tilt at the title.

da realbet： West Ham United could make a move for one club's in-form young forward following his brilliant 2023/2024 campaign, according to an insider.

Moyes eyeing new forwards at West Ham

da mrbet： The Hammers are believed to chasing new attacking options for manager David Moyes, both out wide and in the striker position.

Related West Ham may approach "selfless" Premier League defender to replace Aguerd

The Moroccan could leave.

Posts ByEmilio Galantini Jan 6, 2024

As previously reported, West Ham are one of many clubs chasing Serhou Guirassy from Stuttgart, with the Guinea international's tantalising £15 million release clause coming as a particularly big draw.

Technical director Tim Steidten has apparently been working on a move for Guirassy, but there are other attacking targets which co-chairman David Sullivan and the German have in mind.

Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah is a player West Ham admire, as is Jack Clarke of Sunderland (ExWHUemployee), but another target who comes as pretty interesting is Norwich City star Jonathan Rowe.

West Ham could make a move for Rowe

Indeed, according to reliable club insider ExWHUemployee, West Ham could make a move for Rowe as they keep tabs on his situation at Carrow Road.

Rowe is on a list of forward players who West Ham are watching this window, and we believe his sky-high potential could be a particularly big draw for the Hammers.

The 20-year-old has been in fine form under David Wagner this season, scoring 10 goals and assisting two others in 24 Championship appearances so far as one of the Canaries' star players.

"One player making a lot of noise is Jonathan Rowe, Norwich's 20-year-old winger has scored five goals in nine appearances and was named EFL Young Player of the Month in August," said Carlton Palmer to Football League World in October.

"His scintillating form has seen him earn a call-up to England's under-20 squad. If he can keep producing performances like he's doing then he's going to become a very hot commodity.

"He could be worth upwards of £20m, I'd definitely put him in the same category as Gnonto at Leeds United."

Rowe is a real one to watch it would seem, with Norwich boss David Wagner also praising the player's development and attitude this season.

Jonathan Rowe's best Championship games for Norwich – 2023/2024

Match Rating (via WhoScored)

Norwich City 2-1 Hull City

8.44

Huddersfield Town 0-4 Norwich City

7.94

Norwich City 2-0 Birmingham City

7.75

Coventry 0-0 Norwich City

7.70

Norwich City 3-1 Millwall

7.68

"He's a good character," said Wagner after Rowe was called up to England's Under-21 squad.

"He knows that he deserves the praise which he gets, but he knows as well that he had to work very hard for it and the most important thing is he knows if he only continues what he has done so far, this will not be enough for the future. He now has to have the moments where you have to invest more and he will do so. Hopefully he stays healthy. We can be very, very happy that he is in our team.

“I am very happy about the steps which he has done since. And now we have to make sure that we support him, that he stays as focused as he can, because this is the most important thing."

Alexi Lalas has warned the USMNT's players it's time to "put up or shut up" as they prepare to go for glory on home soil at the Copa America.

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USMNT hosting 2024 Copa America Stars and Stripes boast quality squadLalas says it's time for players to performWHAT HAPPENED?

Lalas is never shy of giving his opinion and has sent out a clear warning to the United States ahead of the 2024 Copa America. The former USMNT star believes it's time for the Stars and Stripes to deliver on the pitch and feels there can be no excuses from the players or fingers pointed at the coaching staff if they come up short.

AdvertisementGettyTHE BIGGER PICTURE

The USMNT has struggled against top opposition but now boast a squad packed full of talented players plying their trade across Europe in the shape of stars such as Pulisic, Weston McKennie, Gio Reyna, Folarin Balogun and Tim Weah. The Copa America presents Gregg Berhalter's team with an excellent opportunity to see how they are shaping up against quality opposition ahead of co-hosting the 2026 World Cup. Yet the team head into the tournament after two very mixed results. The USMNT were embarrassed in a 5-1 defeat to Colombia but then turned in an encouraging display in a 1-1 draw with Brazil.

WHAT LALAS SAID

He told : "We’re letting the players off the hook a bit when we constantly talk about the coach. They have been given every benefit, every resource. Nothing has been spared from an early age. It is fair for us to expect more out of them individually and collectively. They’re no longer teenagers. Some of them play for the best teams and in the best leagues in the world. It’s time to put up or shut up.

“We put a lot of emphasis on coaching — and I’m not saying they can’t have an effect — but this is a players’ game. When that whistle blows, you get to decide what happens and the onus is on you. And if you want it, that’s great. If you don’t, then don’t blame the coach.”

GettyWHAT NEXT FOR THE USMNT

Berhalter's team kick off their Copa America campaign on Saturday against Bolivia. The Stars and Stripes then go on to face Panama and Uruguay in the group stages.

“We understand that we are contributing to a larger cause, and the quality of cricket has to stand out”

Sidharth Monga16-Dec-20203:01

Virat Kohli: ‘There is more respect between the two sides, you can see that’

From Shikhar Dhawan mocking an injured Shane Watson in 2013 to David Warner being used as the official provocateur during the 2014-15 tour; from standing up to “mental disintegration” in 2004 to puerile fights on the field even in the aftermath of Phillip Hughes’ death.There was a time when the rivalry between India and Australia appeared to have come within one chirp of actual physical blows on the field. India’s tour to Australia in 2018-19 had all the makings of being the ugliest ever, but before that happened, we had the Cape Town ball-tampering scandal, and something changed.Related

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Kohli: My 'personality' is a 'representation' of 'new India'

That series featured mostly amusing banter but nothing remotely as nasty as we had become accustomed to seeing when India played Australia. Later last year, during the World Cup, India’s captain Virat Kohli asked the Indian fans to stop booing Steven Smith, who had done his time and paid his dues to come back on the field for the first time after his ban expired.Thus, before the start of the 2020-21 Test series, we have reached a stage where some have been left wondering if this new-found respect between these teams will actually compromise the intensity and integrity of the Tests.On the eve of the first Test in Adelaide, which starts on Thursday, Kohli was asked what the reasons for the better relations were, and his answer summed up the evolution of the rivalry: these teams play a lot of IPL together and thus they know each other better. All the characters of this narrative are also older, wiser and surer about their place in the world.Since the Cape Town incident, Australia have acknowledged they were wanting when it came to their behaviour and so have strived to find the right balance between competitiveness and model behaviour. That said, this has been a year where people have reviewed their priorities in life and realised how unwanted certain things had been.”It is a combination of all those factors,” Kohli said. “I think this year also has made people realise that a lot of things might not have been necessary in the past where you hold grudges and you have unnecessary tension between teams and individuals, which is absolutely pointless. You are still going to be professional and make sure you are positive and aggressive in your body language and the way you go about things on the field.Virat Kohli: “Appreciation for someone’s performance or someone’s grit and character comes at the end of five days is what I believe”•India Today Group/Getty Images

“But I don’t think that things are going to be as personal as they used to be before also because of the fact that we understand that we are contributing to a larger cause. And it is the quality of cricket that has to stand out. Obviously, you are going to try to get people out, you are going to try to score runs, but at the end of the day the unnecessary stuff is going to get filtered out pretty much by itself.”Australia’s assertions of trying to be better behaved have not always been taken on face value, but Kohli did acknowledge they had changed “to an extent”. “It could be a culmination of playing IPL together, a lot of IPL cricket, Australia changing their approach to an extent, and also just the way the things have panned out this year,” he said. “Everyone is just grateful for the opportunity to be back on the field. It is not like the games haven’t been as intense or as competitive, it is just the unnecessary stuff that has been filtered out. I feel there is much more respect between sides. You can see that on the field, and I hope the cricket continues to be competitive.”We should not compromise on the quality of the cricket. Banter is going to go on here and there all the time. That is the highest level of cricket we play, and it is going to be very competitive. There is going to be tension, there is going to be stress, there are going to be emotions flaring every now and then. I don’t foresee anything getting personal anymore. I think we are also – all of us – getting smarter, and [are] a few more years into our careers. So we are going to make better and smarter choices, and make sure the quality of cricket remains.”The dichotomy in all this is that Kohli is well regarded in Australia because he gives back as good as he gets; in the words of Greg Chappell, that makes him the most Australian non-Australian. Kohli was asked if the players felt vilified doing what they are at certain times, which is to give it their all within the rules to win the match for their sides.”The media has absolute full right and space to see things and perceive things as and how they want,” Kohli said. “For us, as cricketers, we understand that we do what is required for the team in that moment. To make sure that we are moving forward as a side – whether it is standing up to some chirp on the field or just being aggressive in our plans or our body language as a side.”At the highest level, the quality of cricket cannot be compromised. If you are stepping onto the field thinking we will have smiles and handshakes throughout the day – and you know, we are not going to be as competitive or as aggressive in our body language – then I think it is the wrong idea to have. You have to maintain the dignity of the sport, but you also have to understand that you are competing at the highest level with two quality sides going at each other.”And there are going to be moments when things are going to get difficult and teams are going to stand up against each other but not in a disrespectful way is what I meant. There is definitely a lot more to Test cricket. Appreciation for someone’s performance or someone’s grit and character comes at the end of five days is what I believe.”And through the five days, obviously the crowds are going to try to make things as difficult as possible for us. We are going to try to make things as difficult as possible for the opposition, and that’s the beauty of Test cricket. You can appreciate the efforts put in by both teams at the end of five days and make sure you don’t carry anything off the field is what I meant.”But on the field, things are going to be competitive, it is going to be high-voltage cricket because there are quality players in both sides hungry and eager to perform for their teams and make sure they help their team win. It is definitely going to be as competitive as it has always been over so many years between India and Australia.”In other words, hard but fair. How much more Australian can Kohli get?

The offspinner is understood to be out of danger, although a concussion report is yet to be completed

Mohammad Isam in Southampton23-Jun-2019Mehidy Hasan is understood to be out of danger after being struck on the side of a head by a ball during a net session in Southampton. The incident occurred while Mehidy was giving an interview, on the sidelines of the practice session, on the eve of Bangladesh’s match against Afghanistan. A concussion report is yet to be completed, though.Mehidy apparently wanted to continue batting in the nets but was not allowed to, according to the Bangladesh media manager Rabeed Imam.The injury to the offspinner is the latest concern for a Bangladesh team riddled with fitness worries. Mohammad Saifuddin and Mosaddek Hossain missed the game against Australia due to a back spasm and hurt shoulder respectively, while Mushfiqur Rahim, Tamim Iqbal and Mashrafe Mortaza are all carrying injuries as well.

His hundred against Pakistan was recognition that his singular match-winning skills remain very much intact

Daniel Brettig14-Jun-2019When does a cricketer feel at home in a team? Some get that sense within the minutes of their first match for a side, others may go seasons without ever quite feeling a part of it, whatever their performances or how things look in all the on-field backslapping.The Australian team can be an unforgiving place. One former opening batsman confessed some years ago that when he was first called up, days went by before any other team-mate spoke to him by way of welcome. Another called a Cricket Australia official during an early spell in the team to say he was lonely away from home, and to ask for something to do.No-one, though, has quite had an experience quite like that of David Warner, banished from the Australia side in the wake of the Newlands scandal last year and, unlike the former captain Steven Smith, left very much isolated by his identification as the ringleader of the ball tampering plot, if not its subsequent cover-up.In those desperate hours and days following Warner’s ban, accompanied by a lifetime suspension from ever holding a formal leadership position in the team, he was seen to be at odds with the rest, even more so than Smith or Cameron Bancroft. There was, in the game’s highest circles, widespread acknowledgement that he may never be selected again. Warner, for his part, said as much in an otherwise legally constrained return home press conference at the SCG.A little more than a year on, it should be noted that the first leadership figure in Australian cricket to offer a more welcoming word to Warner was Justin Langer, when he was appointed national team coach in May 2018. While Langer was not without his own reservations, wanting to get a stronger sense of where Warner and the team were at before a lengthy reintegration process began, he offered far more carrot than stick to the ex-vice-captain.”He’s a really good young bloke and he made a mistake,” Langer said at the time. “I love the way he plays his cricket. The way he runs between the wickets, the way he fields, the way he bats – they’re things that for the less-trained eye, you might not respect as much.”So it was that Warner and Smith were reintegrated, by way of net sessions in Australia, a team visit in the UAE, a World Cup preparation camp in Brisbane, and innumerable phone calls, text exchanges and coffee catch-ups. Warner all the while kept a commendable silence, not seeking any platform for self-justification, and grinding out runs wherever he was permitted to play.Even so, his return to Australian ranks had been halting prior to the century against Pakistan that underlined his exceedingly rare ability, turning a bowler-friendly day into a head start of 146 without loss that was still standing when Australia finally secured victory in the Taunton twilight. A pair of scratchy innings against Afghanistan and India, either side of a brief one against the West Indies, suggested he was not yet at home. The hundred, Langer now reckons, will be remembered as the knock that sealed his return.”You can see in his eyes how determined he is to be back playing for Australia,” Langer said. “When you score a hundred, it is almost like there is no better feeling in the world. I listened to the press conference you had with him, he can only explain how he felt, but for us if you score a hundred it’s almost like, ‘righto, I am back, I am back’. And that’s a good thing.David Warner celebrates his hundred•Getty Images

“That’s a nice feeling I am sure for him and it’s a nice feeling for us that you can score some runs. Hundreds, they are the milestone, they are the reward. In a lot of ways, that’s a really great reward for him.”Recognition, both for Warner and team-mates, that his singular match-winning skills remain very much intact, was distinct from regaining respect. This, Langer argued, had been generated long ago by the way Warner set about the time he had away from international cricket.”Honestly, when you pay the price that he has paid for 12 months, and see him come back with a smile on his face and super fit, he didn’t have to earn back any respect,” Langer said. “Everyone knew what he has been through the last 12 months. They also know what a great player he is. He has always had the respect as a player. He is a really good young bloke and he has come back with a smile on his face, he is fit, he had respect as soon as he came in.”Langer has observed Warner’s batting with optimism but also realism. He is looking for Warner the batsman, not Warner the hitter, perhaps with half an eye towards the Ashes. The Taunton century was Warner’s first international hundred in England or Wales after also touring in 2012, 2013, 2015 and 2017. He has some ground to make up in the UK.”There is a bit of talk about how he was going. He has done an unbelievable job for the team in all games we have played so far,” Langer said. “You saw how emotional he was and how much it meant to him. It meant a lot to all of us as well.”If there was a criticism of Warner from Langer it was this: from where he set the team’s platform, a far bigger score was in the offing against Pakistan, and Australia’s subsequent decline needed to be seen as falling at least somewhat in his lap.”I think we probably left 50 or 60 runs. It was a really very frustrating last 15 overs for us with the bat with the way Aaron and Davey started. We had a perfect platform and went a bit away from our game plan there,” Langer said. “I remember Brian Lara used to always say, if you have a good day, have a great day because you have a lot of bad days in cricket. As very, very good as it was for Davey, he probably missed out on having a great day for himself and for the team and great players are frustrated about that.”But like Australia, with three wins from four games without having played particularly well, there is plenty more to come from Warner’s bat. “It’s a fickle game. You never want to mess with mother cricket,” Langer said. “He will just keep preparing well and we’ll make sure he stays nice and relaxed and enjoying his cricket because people with talent like that, when they are relaxed and well prepared, they perform. He has done that his whole career and hopefully he continues to do that.”Warner, having messed up before, is unlikely ever to do so again.

His first task is to oversee USA Cricket’s application for Associate Membership at the ICC, following the expulsion of USACA in 2017

Peter Della Penna03-Oct-2018Paraag Marathe, the executive vice-president of football operations for the San Francisco 49ers, has been elected as chairman of USA Cricket, pipping Catherine Carlson of the NBA’s Orlando Magic and Rohan Sajdeh of the Boston Consulting Group to the post. With the position now finalised, Marathe’s first task is to oversee USA Cricket’s application for Associate Membership at the ICC, following the expulsion of USACA by unanimous vote at the ICC annual conference in 2017.Marathe, who is also on the board of English football championship side Leeds United, has served as the 49ers franchise’s chief contract negotiator while overseeing the construction of Levi’s Stadium. The Bay Area native completed his undergraduate degree at the University of California-Berkeley before going on to get an MBA from Stanford University and has worked for the 49ers in various roles for 18 years.”I feel privileged to have been elected the inaugural Chair of USA Cricket,” Marathe said after his appointment. “As a board, we are very much looking forward to the challenge of building a strong and sustainable organization that can not only achieve cricket’s extraordinary potential in the United States, but can also position USA Cricket as a leading member of the ICC.”Crucial to achieving this success is engaging with, and uniting, the USA Cricket community. That message was made loud and clear at our inaugural meeting, and I am incredibly excited by the talent and passion that we have attracted to this Board. While there is a very big job ahead of us, I am very confident that this Board can deliver on our ultimate goal.”As the chairman of USA Cricket and its 10-person board, Marathe will also be scouting for commercial professional league opportunities for cricket in the USA. USACA had expressed its intention to form such a league as early as 2010 in a partnership with New Zealand Cricket, but a targeted 2012 launch never materialised. Other subsequent attempts, the most recent in 2016 with St Lucia Stars owner Jay Pandya, similarly never got off the ground.As a consequence, USA has watched other countries around the world saturate the T20 franchise market, including in their own North American region with the start of the Global T20 Canada this past summer. But the commercial appeal of the USA continues to remain high with Cricket West Indies announcing earlier this summer that they had committed to a five-year plan of staging a minimum of two T20Is per year in North America.USA Cricket’s application for Associate Membership will be considered by an ICC Board-appointed Membership Committee that includes ICC chief executive David Richardson, chairman Shashank Manohar, independent director Indra Nooyi, cricket committee chairman Anil Kumble and president of Cricket West Indies Dave Cameron, among others. If this committee is satisfied that the new USA cricket board meets the requirements for ICC membership, then it will make a subsequent recommendation to the ICC at the earliest. If the recommendation is approved, then the ICC’s Full Council will vote via circular resolution to accept USA Cricket as the ICC’s 105th member.Also part of the USA cricket board – along with Marathe, Carlson and Sajdeh – are Avinash Gaje from New Jersey, Suraj Viswanathan from northern California, Venu Pisike from Atlanta, Ajith Bhaskar from the Commonwealth Cricket League of New York, southern California’s Atul Rai – himself a former USACA president – and elite athlete representatives Nadia Gruny and Usman Shuja.

New York Yankees infielder Jazz Chisholm took to social media to criticize baseball fans who have questioned New York's use of their new "torpedo bats."

The barrel of the torpedo bats are slightly larger than the barrel of the standard bats that the team (and the rest of baseball) have historically used. Major League Baseball said that the bats are legal, as New York did not expand the barrel outside of the written rules.

Still, some baseball fans and some players have raised eyebrows at the move by the franchise. Chisholm responded with an attempt to quiet the critics.

"Okay explanation the barrel is bigger and within MLB regulation!" Chisholm posted on X. "For the idiots that say it's moved to the label you're an idiot! Nobody is trying to get jammed you just move the wood from he parts you don't use to the parts you do! You're welcome no more stress for y'all!"

The Yankees started the 2025 season with a three-game sweep of the Milwaukee Brewers. New York outscored Milwaukee 36-14 in the series, highlighted by a 20-9 win in the second game of the series and a 12-3 win in the third game of the set.

New York begins its second series of the season on Tuesday night at home against the Arizona Diamondbacks. Expect the bats to continue to be a story as long as the Yankees continue to tear the cover off the ball offensively.

Компания Running With Scissors выпустила в Steam новую игру в серии Postal. Это не полноценная часть, а лишь небольшой спин-офф под названием POOSTALL Royale, зато он совершенно бесплатный и доступен в России. А ещё в нём впервые в серии можно играть за женскую версию Чувака.

Судя по информации из Steam, POOSTALL Royale представляет собой простенький шутер с видом сверху, созданный в качестве первоапрельской шутки. Цель игры — пробить себе путь через несколько волн NPC, которые буквально запрограммированы только на то, чтобы бежать к вам, выкрикивая случайные фразы, записанные в туалетной кабинке с дешевым USB-микрофоном.

Ранее, напомним, в Steam вышла бесплатная визуальная новелла про Соника.

❌ РКН заблокировал SnapChat в России из-за угроз распространения терроризма

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KL Rahul stood out for India on the first day of the Bengaluru Test, and he showed how he could change gears against spinners, especially with wickets falling around him

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Bengaluru04-Mar-2017In the nets in the lead-up to the Bengaluru Test, KL Rahul was sweeping and reverse-sweeping pretty much every second ball of spin he faced. It was only to be expected, therefore, that he would try to sweep Nathan Lyon in his first over on the first morning of the Test, and reverse-sweep him in his next over. He ended up missing the sweep and sending the reverse ballooning off the back of his bat towards the vacant – and soon-to-be filled – leg-slip area.KL Rahul on…

Bengaluru pitch
“I think this is pretty much the same wicket we get for Ranji Trophy. Maybe the cracks start to open up at the end of the second day or the third day. But here the wicket was pretty dry and the cracks were prominent. Their bowlers, especially when Starc bowls from over the wicket, creates that rough for Lyon which helps them get that spin and bounce.”
Why it became difficult for India to score
“Once the spinners came on I felt that the wicket was a little damp in the first session. That’s why they were getting some spin and the ball was holding to the wicket. To drive or to go over the top wasn’t really easy. Once the ball got older and there was more rough outside the off stump, Lyon exploits the rough. He kept bowling there consistently and got some purchase out of the wicket.”
Nathan Lyon
“It gets a little difficult to play him if he starts getting some spin and bounce. He was very consistent, kept putting the ball there and kept asking questions. He got the rewards this innings.”
Ashwin potentially emulating Lyon
“That’s the only way we are looking at this match. The cracks are opening up and it’s only getting harder to bat on this wicket. We know Ash is a top-class bowler and once he gets a couple of wickets and gets into that rhythm then he is going to run through the Australian batting line-up, which we are very confident of.”

Lunch was approaching and Rahul, having just entered the forties, was looking a little edgy. On 30, he had been dropped by a diving Peter Handscomb at short mid-off, when he looked to drive Steve O’Keefe and ended up – not for the first time – playing well out in front of his body.India, at that point, were in a relatively solid position, their score 61 for 1 when Rahul played that miscued reverse-sweep. Either side of lunch, however, Lyon sent back Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli and India were far less secure at 88 for 3.Around this point, Rahul changed his approach against the spinners. He shelved the drive, and, barring one lap-sweep that he middled to present a half-chance to leg slip, the sweep as well, and began trusting his defence far more. With both spinners protecting the boundaries towards the direction of their turn, he was content to pick up singles to the deep fielders.It was about the most comfortable that India looked all day. Rahul added 30 with Ajinkya Rahane and 38 with Karun Nair, stumpings terminating both partnerships just as they were promising to grow into serious proportions.”That’s been my responsibility and the gameplan in the last six to eight months. As soon as the spinner comes on, it’s important for an opening batsman to not let him settle. So that’s what I tried to do,” Rahul said at the end of the day’s play, when asked about the thinking behind his change of approach. “The wicket was a little damp so [Lyon] was getting a lot of bounce.”I felt like if I swept I could get the top edge. They had the fielders back right from the first ball. We couldn’t really get the big hits or boundaries. So I looked to play time and tire out the bowlers. We were getting singles pretty easily when I was with Ajinkya and then when Karun came in. Strike was being rotated and we were getting three to four runs [an over] without any risk. That’s when I decided that I’ll be happy with the singles and maybe then they will pull the fielders in and I can take a chance. But that didn’t happen because we kept losing wickets at regular intervals.”KL Rahul fell short of yet another milestone falling on 90 trying to take the spinners on•AFPRahul may have had cause to feel miffed at how Rahane and Nair – who looked more fluent than pretty much every other Indian batsman while scoring 26 off 39 balls – were dismissed, but he was philosophical about it.”Karun and Ajinkya looked set, they were batting on 20 each, and looked set,” Rahul said. “We were getting runs quite easily. Our game plan was to attack the spinners whenever we could but sometimes it just doesn’t go your way. We have to take it in our stride and come back stronger.”Kohli’s dismissal was another point of debate – for the second time in successive innings, he was out not offering a shot to a spinner, this time lbw to Lyon, struck in front of middle stump.”Virat’s ball didn’t spin as much,” Rahul said. “The whole over it was spinning and bouncing and that ball went straight, which can happen.”In the end, Rahul fell ten short of a hundred when, running out of partners, he decided to go after the spinners and spooned Lyon to mid-off. By then, however, he had shown he was capable of batting at more than one gear. He hit eight fours in scoring 48 off 93 balls before lunch, and only one more while scoring a further 42 runs off 112 balls.The two phases of Rahul’s innings seemed like a reverse-chronological microcosm of his career so far: the all-format dasher turning back the clock and transforming into the technically correct, patient accumulator of his early years. At this point in his career, Rahul is still finding the balance between the two approaches, but innings such as this one – or his 158 in Jamaica or his 199 in Chennai – hint at the fully formed batsman he promises to grow into.